Congress today demanded a probe into the allegations against BJP MP Varun Gandhi that he had leaked defence secrets to middleman Abhishek Verma and arms manufacturers, and wondered as to why BJP chief Amit Shah was silent.
Party spokesperson Ajoy Kumar told reporters that the charge needs to be probed as Varun is a senior MP of BJP. He also expressed surprise that there was no statement from BJP in the matter also party chief Amit Shah is silent.
Swaraj Abhiyan leaders Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav had yesterday released a letter written by Edmonds Allen, a New York-based lawyer, to the PMO last month that Varun was "honey-trapped" and compromised by Verma, a charge the BJP MP has stoutly denied.
Allen alleged that Verma "blackmailed" Varun, a member of Defence Consultative Committee, into sharing sensitive information on crucial arms matters.
Varun has rejected these charges, saying he has not met Verma since 2004 and threatened to file a defamation suit against Bhushan and Yadav over the charges.
To a question on one year extension being given to NIA Director General, the Congress spokesperson alleged that BJP and RSS combined do not believe in the Rule of Law, as the Criminal Procedure Code says that a police officer can never be on a contract, he is an employee of the government.
Kumar, himself a former IPS officer, said it is "shameful" that government is saying it cannot find somebody competent within the pool of IPS officers who can head the organisation.
"The actual reason is that this government and (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi wants somebody in the NIA who keeps giving clean chit to his friends and colleagues in various cases which are pending," he claimed.
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